NEXT +VOLVO
Some people are safer than others on the road. That’s
because many car makers still produce vehicles based
exclusively on data from male crash test dummies.
But not Volvo, who believe that women and men
should be equally represented in testing.
W
e assume that when we get behind
the wheel, our car’s safety features
will protect us. For women, that’s
not always the case.
Many automakers produce vehicles based
exclusively on data from male crash test dummies,
meaning there is a higher chance that a woman
will be injured in a crash than a man. Because
of women’s different anatomy and body strength,
they are at a higher risk of whiplash, more likely
to suffer chest injuries, and need different head
protection, as they sit lower in the car and closer
to the steering wheel.
That’s why Volvo is sharing the results of
40 years of research with the whole industry, to
make every car safer. Women and men are equally
represented in real-world crash data, which is why
Volvo believes they should be equally represented
in testing. The E.V.A. Initiative – short for Equal
Vehicles for All – will see the Swedish brand share
data spanning from the ’70s to today, involving
more than 40,000 cars and 70,000 passengers,
which has formed the design for many of Volvo’s
innovative systems.
The Whiplash Protection System – a robust
head restraint with seat design to protect the
Equality
DRIVE
There is a higher chance
that a woman will be injured
in a crash than a man.
head and spine – means that Volvo no longer
sees a difference in whiplash risk between men
and women, while their Side Impact Protection
System, along with side-impact airbags, reduces
the risk of severe chest injuries by more than
50% for all passengers. Volvo has used a female
crash test dummy since the mid-’90s in their
car testing, and developed a virtual model of
a pregnant woman in the early 2000s to make
cars safer for mums and unborn babies.
Volvo has a long history of making safer cars:
their most important invention – the three-point
safety belt – will celebrate its 60th anniversary this
year. So far, it has saved more than one million
lives. It’s all part of Volvo’s 2020 safety vision,
that no one should be killed or seriously injured
in a new Volvo car.
More information can be found at
volvocars.com/nz.Women are more likely
to suff er chest injuries in
a car crash as they tend
to sit closer to the
steering wheel.SEPTEMBER 2019 / NEXT 21